Page 77 of Beautiful Vengeance

She smiled up at him through a haze of tears, hardly able to believe this was real even as the pain in her shoulder convinced her it was. “I’m glad you didn’t.” Because she’d be dead otherwise, and they never would have been able to tell each other how they truly felt. “And I love you too. So much.” She pulled him down to her again, wrapped her good arm around him and let the tears spill freely down her face.

Marcus held her until she’d calmed, her tears reduced to shuddering sighs. “Trinity,” she said. “Is—”

“She’s fine. Round hit her vest, dead center mass. Cracked her sternum and broke three ribs, but no internal damage.”

“Thank God. What about Karas? And the horses?”

“They’re fine. I rang the gardener and asked him to find them. He rang me back not long after to say he got Karas out, then found the horses waiting at the stable when he got there.”

“That’s good.”

“Aye.”

Every jerk of her chest made the pain in her shoulder worse. She winced and let out a groan. “So, what’s my damage?”

He wiped her face and straightened next to the bed. “It’s…bad, but your surgeon is one of the best in the UK. He pieced your shoulder joint and scapula back together. He said there’ll be some nerve damage, but we won’t know the extent until the swelling goes down.”

A new fear coiled inside her. “Will I be able to use it again?”

“You’ll likely have permanent loss of strength and range of motion,” he said, lowering his gaze, the guilt on his face hurting her as much as her newly repaired shoulder.

She grabbed his hand, squeezed hard. “Don’t blame yourself.”

He looked away, snorting. “Who else should I blame?”

“The Architect.”

His eyes came back to her, his expression hardening. “Aye. She’s in surgery now for a similar repair.”

Kiyomi frowned, revulsion shuddering through her as she remembered the attack. “She said I was going to be her blueprint.”

“For what?”

“I don’t know.”

A knock came at the door and then it pushed open a few inches. “Hey,” Trinity said, moving slowly into the room, her movements restricted. “Good to see you, sweetie.”

“You too.” Kiyomi reached a hand out for her friend.

Trinity came over and took it, raised it to her lips to press a hard kiss on the back of it. “That was way too damn close.”

“For both of us. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Trin smiled. “Okay is a relative term in this instance, but I’m glad too. Think I can let the others in now? They’re dying to confirm for themselves that you’re still alive.”

“Sure.”

“Watch your eyes,” Marcus murmured. “Gonna turn on the light.” He switched on the small lamp beside her bed.

Squinting as her eyes adjusted, she focused on the door as Trinity told everyone to come in. Megan was in the lead, followed by Amber. Chloe marched in next, Eden right behind her. The sight of her Valkyrie sisters gathering around her made Kiyomi want to cry again.

“So, can we all agree to never go through anything like that ever again?” Chloe said, her expression agitated as she chewed her gum. “Because that sucked big time.”

“I’m down with that,” Kiyomi answered, a wash of tears blurring her vision. Megan leaned over to kiss her on the forehead while the others set a hand on her legs and good arm. She looked around at them all. Her sisters. “I really love you guys, you know.”

“Oh, shit, don’t you dare make us cry,” Eden warned with a sharp look, her dark eyebrows drawn together in a worried frown.

Kiyomi smiled and gave a watery laugh that ended in a streak of fire through her shoulder. “Ow. Okay, this sucks.”

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